Challenger-sales
Updated at: 24 January 2025
Challenger-sales
**Challenger selling**, or the "sales champions" approach - is an approach to B2B sales that focuses on educating the customer and taking control of the sales process. Unlike traditional methods that focus on relationship building, the Challenger approach assumes that the salesperson actively shapes the customer's opinion by offering a new perspective on their business challenges.
## About the approach
Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson created the Sales Champions approach in 2011 and described it in their book of the same name, *The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation*. The authors studied more than 6,000 B2B salespeople and noticed: the best salespeople don't try to please everyone, they teach and challenge customers.
A salesperson in the Challenger Approach acts like this: he or she doesn't just sell, but trains the customer by showing them new business techniques and gently pushing them out of their comfort zone. There are several features of the approach that stand out:
1. **Training** \- the salesperson shares unique knowledge about the client's business.
2. **Adaptation** \- the salesperson speaks the client's language and takes into account the specifics of the client's business.
3. **Leadership** \- the salesperson takes the lead in the transaction and leads the client to a solution.
4. **Pushy approach** \- the salesperson does not always agree with the client, but makes the client think.
5. **Value focus** \- the salesperson explains how the solution will help the client's business.
According to the authors of the approach, customers respond favorably to "sales champions" for several reasons. First, customers are overloaded with information - they need a fresh perspective on their business. Second, B2B solutions are becoming increasingly complex, especially in IT, so clients want to talk to salespeople who deeply understand the specifics of their industry. Customers are looking for experts, not just vendors.
## The core principles of Challenger Selling
Challenger selling relies on three key principles to help salespeople stand out in a B2B sales world where old approaches are losing effectiveness.
1. **Become a source of new ideas and insights for the customer:**- Learn the customer's business better than they do;
- show the client new opportunities they haven't noticed;
- use real data and research to back up what you say;
- help the client see hidden problems in their business.
2. **Customize to the client:**- scrutinize each client's needs and goals;
- use language and examples from the industry;
- adapt your approach to different roles in the client's company;
- explain how your solution is particularly useful for that particular client.
3. **Manage the sales process:**- steer the conversation in the right direction;
- don't be afraid to challenge the client's opinion if you are sure you are right;
- gently take the client out of their comfort zone;
- Discuss the business value of your solution, not just the price;
- persistently but tactfully lead the client to close the deal.
These three principles - teach, adjust, and manage - turn an ordinary salesperson into a valuable advisor to the client. This approach is especially effective in complex B2B sales, where simply talking about the product is no longer enough - you need to deliver real value.
## Types of salespeople according to the Challenger methodology
The research behind the Sales Champions approach has identified five main types of salespeople. Each type has its own characteristics and approaches to sales.
1. **The hard-working performer:**- High work capacity;
- strict adherence to corporate procedures;
- willingness to take on challenging tasks;
- eagerness to continually learn.
2. **Relationship Specialist:**- Ability to build long-term relationships with clients;
- high customer focus;
- well-developed active listening skills;
- ability to find a common language with different people.
3. **Independent professional:**- High self-confidence;
- reliance on personal experience and intuition;
- inclination to unconventional solutions.
4. **Analytical Decision Maker:**- Attention to detail;
- high reliability and responsibility;
- ability to find solutions in complex situations;
- tendency to analyze thoroughly.
5. **Champion:**- Ability to educate the client on new approaches;
- willingness to constructively challenge the client's views;
- deep understanding of the client's business;
- confident management of the sales process.
The research that formed the basis of the book
*The Challenger Sale,*
found that among high-performing salespeople, 40% are Challenger types. Meanwhile, relationship specialists, who are traditionally valued by many companies, made up only 7% of the top salespeople.
**The reasons for the high performance of Challenger salespeople:**
1. The ability to provide customers with new insights and knowledge;
2. the ability to encourage customers to rethink their approaches;
3. an accurate understanding of economic factors and customer values, based on which they tailor communication;
4. a willingness to negotiate complex negotiations, including financial issues.
## Stages of Challenger Selling
The Challenger approach includes five key stages. Each stage plays an important role in the sales process and helps the salesperson effectively lead the customer to a decision.
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### 1\. Warm-up
In this stage, the salesperson gains the customer's trust by demonstrating an understanding of the customer's problems. At this stage, the key is not to sell, but to have a meaningful dialog:
- explore the customer's pain points and needs;
- discuss typical problems in the industry;
- show expertise in solving similar problems;
- use visual materials to engage the client in the conversation.
### 2\. Rethinking the conversation
The salesperson helps the customer redefine their problems. The goal of the stage is not to sell, but to arouse the customer's curiosity and get them thinking in new ways:
- dig deeper to find the root of the client's problems;
- disrupt the client's established ideas about solving their problems;
- look at the client's situation from a different perspective, offer a new perspective;
- confidently lead the conversation, demonstrating your competence.
### 3\. emotional impact
At this stage, the salesperson must create an emotional connection between the customer's problem and their solution - according to [research](), up to 95% of decisions are made on an emotional level:
- tell stories about customers with similar problems;
- show what can happen if you don't solve the problem now;
- use real success stories from other clients;
- back up your arguments with data and research.
### 4\. Demonstrating Value
Now the salesperson shows the customer the potential results. The goal is to show the ideal solution to the problem without mentioning the product directly:
- describe a picture of a positive future for the customer;
- focus on solutions, not your product;
- give the client time to draw their own conclusions;
- be available to answer any questions.
### 5\. Product Presentation
In the final step, the salesperson presents their product as the ideal solution for the customer. If the previous steps were successful, this step will be quick - you just need to show how the product solves the client's problems.
## Benefits of the Challenger Approach
The Challenger approach to sales benefits both the selling company and the customer by helping to achieve a *win-win* situation:
## The role of CRM in supporting Challenger sales
The Challenger approach requires a suitable [CRM system]() designed for B2B sales. It will help salespeople effectively apply Challenger principles at every stage of the sale:
- Store and analyze data about customers and their industries;
- Monitor trends and changes in the customer's market;
- identify potential problems in the customer's business;
- track the history of interactions to better understand the customer's needs;
- structure the stages of a sale and track progress on each deal;
- plan next steps and actions for each client;
- analyze the effectiveness of approaches and tactics;
- create a knowledge base with successful cases and customer stories.
CRM functionality should facilitate modern approaches and help salespeople be more prepared, confident, and effective in applying the principles of "sales champions." For example, [SimpleOne B2B CRM]() has modules and capabilities for full-cycle enterprise customer engagement and [complex sales]() execution:
1. **Methodological sales support**: functionality for applying modern sales methodologies, elaborate lead qualification methodology, tools for managing cold-entry strategy and deal lifecycle visualization.
2. **Customer insight capabilities**: contact mapping to map customer relationships to different zones of influence, fields to capture pain points and selection criteria.
3. **Complex deal management**: customizable kanban boards, support for parallel work on different sales activities within a deal, forecasting and planning tools.
4. **Integration with marketing**: automatic loading of content into the client's card depending on his pains or criteria - content helps the salesperson to better understand the client, planning and management of marketing campaigns, end-to-end analytics for making management decisions.
5. **Content management**: all marketing content is stored inside the CRM, allowing you to quickly refer to it for any issue during the transaction.
6. **Advanced data manipulation**: dot-walking fields for linked tables, powerful data sampling interface, create any custom reports and dashboards in two clicks.
7. **AI Automation**: Smart Filling helps in automated filling of cards based on calls and emails, which frees up salesperson's time for face-to-face interaction with the customer, call quality analysis is available.
## Summary
Challenger selling is an innovative approach to B2B sales that changes the role of the salesperson from supplier to teacher and advisor. This method is based on three key principles: educating the customer, customizing the approach, and controlling the sales process. With this approach, salespeople can effectively work with B2B customers who are looking for more than just products, but valuable insights and new perspectives for their business.
Implementing the Challenger Approach requires companies to rethink traditional sales methods and invest in developing the skills of their salespeople. To successfully implement the Sales Champions Approach, it is also important to use modern tools, such as specialized CRM systems that help salespeople put the principles of the approach into practice.
| Benefits to the company | Customer benefits |
|---|---|
Increased sales effectiveness The Challenger Approach can lead to increased sales performance because: ● salespeople are better able to identify customers' real needs; ● a unique approach sets the company apart from competitors; ● the focus on value rather than price allows for more favorable deals. | Gaining new insights and knowledge Clients value Challenger salespeople for: ● a new perspective on business problems; ● access to expert knowledge and market research; ● the opportunity to learn about best practices in their industry. |
Strengthening customer relationships "Sales Champions" become not just suppliers to customers, but valuable advisors, resulting in: ● increased customer loyalty; ● the number of repeat sales and recommendations increases; ● customers become less price sensitive. | More effective solutions The Challenger Approach helps clients: ● identify hidden problems and opportunities in their business; ● find the best solution rather than just buying a product; ● get a solution that fits the company's needs. |
Sales team development Implementation of the Challenger Approach contributes to the professional growth of employees: ● salespeople develop analytical and strategic thinking skills; ● the team's expertise in client industries grows; ● salespeople bring real value to clients. | Risk reduction Clients feel more confident because: ● decisions are based on an in-depth analysis of their business; ● they have a better understanding of how implementing the solution will impact their company; ● the vendor acts as a partner with a vested interest in the client's success. |
Adapting to market changes The Challenger approach makes the company more flexible: ● the focus on customer education helps drive innovative solutions; ● the company better understands trends in its customers' industries. | Long-term partnership Customers get not just a supplier, but a strategic partner who: ● constantly shares new ideas and insights; ● helps grow the client's business over the long term; ● offers support and expertise even after the deal is finalized. |